Super-Sized Upside-Down Planter

Everybody's seen the Topsy-Turvey Tomato planter on TV or at Wal-Mart but why buy when you can build. I along with a lot of you have seen upside-down planters made from 2-liter bottles but they have a couple of flaws. First of all they aren't very sturdy, in windy conditions they can blow around or the plastic itself can break or tear under the weight of the plant. Secondly, they are kind of small, which isn't a big deal if you're growing small tomatoes, chiles or something else that doesn't grow massive. But what if you want massive, In a smaller container you'll get root-lock early on and the plants growth will be stunted. What if you want to grow giant Beefsteak tomatoes or bushels of cucumbers. That's where this planter comes in. I've utilized a 5 gallon water dispenser jug and 12 feet of old plastic coated clothesline for the construction.

I got this jug from a friends office, it had a crack in it. Once these bottles have cracks in them they are worthless as water dispensers and some places will just throw them away. You can probably find some at small offices or even if you ask you local water distributer (culligan, etc.). The clothesline I just had lying around because it's just one of those things that are just handy to keep around.

Step 1: Section the bottle

I used 3/4" masking tape to mark off a cut-line along the last clear section. This leaves a lip for the "lid" to grab hold of. Many of the planters I've seen people make don't have any form of lid so they are more prone to evaporative loss.

I used a metal cutting band saw but you can use a hacksaw, snips or a strong pair of scissors.

Comments

[ceknight]

Do you find a problem with that clear plastic jug on a very hot summer day overheating the soil?

[chrisandamanda]

That is cool. I made the same one with pop bottles and they worked awsome.